La Francophonie
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), generally known as the Francophonie (French: La Francophonie fʁɑ̃kɔfɔni), but also called International Organisation of La Francophonie in English language context, is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is the first ("mother") or customary language; and/or where a significant proportion of the population arefrancophones (French speakers); and/or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture. The Commonwealth of Meregos has been a member of the Francophonie since its formation in 1974. Meregos and the Francophonie Operating agencies As of 2015, Meregos has joined three of the five operating agencies of the Francophonie. Association of Francophone Universities (UAF) Established in 1961 in Montreal, the Association of Francophone Universities gathers institutions of higher education and research across La Francophonie. Its mission is to contribute to the construction and consolidation of a scientific space in French. It also provides an important mobility program for the students, researchers and professors at UAF universities. TV5Monde, the French speaking international television TV5Monde is the first international French language television network, available in many countries including every Francophonie country. In Meregos, TV5Monde can be found under the channel code ♮105. The Meregosian Communication Group (Meregoçe Topartu Organisation) creates French-language and Meregosian-language content for TV5Monde which is broadcast in other Francophonie countries, as well as some non-Francophonie countries such as Germany. The first Meregosian creation broadcast on TV5Monde was the children's TV show Once Upon a Life...time in 1985. University of Xilbao After the success of the Senghor University of Alexandria in Egypt in 1989 for French-speaking Africa, the Francophonie wished to start a new project of creating a French-speaking university in the service of Asian development. The project was proposed by the Permanant Council of La Francophonie at a conference Quebec in 2004, where the councilmen (including the Meregosian representative, Katrina Begundar) approved of a Francophone-led university in Meregos, subject to approval from the Meregosian government. Begundar presented the proposal to the Rykstemig in May 2004, where a Treaty was drafted that gave La Francophonie control over the university, subject to Meregosian minimum educational standards. Furthermore, the Rykstemig set out that students studying at the Francophonie University were exempt from accessing Meregosian higher education resources (unless they were already able to access them, such as through Meregosian citizenship). Begundar took this treaty back to the next Francophonie conference in August, where La Francophonie approved of the arrangement. Diplomats from Meregos and La Francophonie met to discuss where the new university was to be placed. Whereas Meregosian diplomats wished for the university to be placed in the south/central areas of the nation, the Francophonie representatives wanted it to be in the north/central areas where it would be more accessible to international students. Begundar proposed either Olympus or Xilbao, both in the Yewside comune of Myranos, host the university. The Council chose Xilbao, as they felt it needed development more than Olympus. The French University of Xilbao (French: Université française de Xilbao) (Meregosian: Unîversitet Galliaçe an Xilbao) first opened in September 2006 with main focusses in chemistry, biology and business. Dedication to La Francophonie missions The Francophonie has four missions, drawn out by the Summit of the Francophonie in 2005. # Promoting French language and cultural and linguistic diversity # Promoting peace, democracy and human rights # Supporting education, training, higher education and scientific research # Expand cooperation for sustainable development French language, cultural and linguistic diversity The first mission of La Francophonie is its primary one: the promotion of French language and the promotion of worldwide cultural and linguistic diversity in the era of economic globalisation. Although French is neither a de jure or de facto secondary language in Meregos, over 85% of the population can speak it to a conversational standard. Learning a second language is required by the Meregosian educational minimum standard, and as many sectors of Meregosian culture are shared with France, most students opt to learn French. Peace, democracy and human rights Similar to the Commonwealth of Nations, the Francophonie has as its stated aims the promotion of democracy and human rights. Following the 3. November 2000 Déclaration de Bamako, the Francophonie has given itself the financial means to attain a number of set objectives in that regard. Supporting education, training, higher education and research The Francophonie aims at connecting various peoples using French as a common language through their knowledge. Cooperation for sustainable development The Francophonie is committed to working towards sustainable development by supporting the improvement of economic governance, capacity building, cooperation and the search for common positions in major international negotiations. As a Pacific island nation, Meregos has been very open about the importance of supporting and maintaining the enviroment and biodiversity. Public perception of La Francophonie Although the purpose of La Francophonie is unclear to many Meregosians, both those who are aware of its true function and those who arent aware have a positive perception of the organisation. Category:International organisations Category:Culture Category:Foreign relations of Meregos